Granular material, such as sand or hydraulic fracturing proppant, is used in bulk quantity in a number of applications. For example, in hydraulic fracturing operations by oil and gas and other industries, fracturing fluid, along with a granular proppant material such as sand and/or ceramics, is pumped into a drill well to create and prop open fractures in rock. Often, activities requiring large amounts of granular material are performed in a remote location, requiring granular material to be shipped in for example by road, rail or water. For such activities, it is desirable to have sufficient and often large amounts of granular material readily available for adequately reliably carrying out operations.
One component of an on-site mobile granular material delivery system is a mobile conveyor, which receives the material from a source such as a delivery truck, barge or rail car and conveys the material to an elevated location such as the input of a storage container. The mobile conveyor may be provided in the form factor of a vehicle including multiple re-orientable and telescoping conveyors. Often, it is required to use two or more conveyors operated in series to move the material. The two conveyors may potentially be oriented differently, for example in the yaw and pitch directions. In such configurations there is a change in velocity as the material transitions from one conveyor to another, which can be problematic. Further, during transition of the material between conveyors, material can be lost and dust can be produced, which can lead to a significant health hazard due to the potential for silicosis.
Therefore there is a need for a conveyor transition for bulk material handling that is not subject to one or more limitations of the prior art.
This background information is provided for the purpose of making known information believed by the applicant to be of possible relevance to the present invention. No admission is necessarily intended, nor should be construed, that any of the preceding information constitutes prior art against the present invention.